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Tuesday, 2 July 2013

Successful seasonal hiring

Summer is a time when many businesses,
small and large alike, may be seeking to increase their staff. This
could be out of a desire to capitalize on fresh, young minds that are
otherwise not available during the academic season, or it could be
owing to an actual increase in the volume of business a company may
observe during the summer months depending on the nature of the goods
and services they provide. At any rate, the summer usually presents
employers with a “hirer's market” in that there tends to be an
increase in the amount of labour available to you. The most important
traits to be considering in your candidates are:

Their skill set. This is
the primary consideration that any employer gives to potential
employees. You want to ensure that the candidate's past experience
and education has equipped them with the skills they will need to get
the job done. Additionally, you want to ensure that the candidate is
well prepared to fine tune and develop these skills in a way that is
specific to your company.

Their attitude. There was
a time when conventional wisdom dictated that ability trumped all
when it came to hiring, but we now see the downfall of such a system:
no matter how skilled a candidate may be, if their attitude prevents
them from offering the fullness of that talent to your team, then
that skill-set becomes inaccessible to you. You want to look for a
candidate who both has much to offer, and will offer it.

Their narrative. Listen
carefully to what your candidates say to you about their reasons for
wanting to work for your company specifically. Their explanation
needs to go well beyond parroting key phrases they may have found
from your company objectives on your website. Prior to interviews,
determine key ideas and actions you would like to hear brought up by
your candidates, and then listen for them carefully. This will help
to secure somebody who enters your team knowing exactly what they
want to help you achieve, and how they will do this.

Their network. Between a
candidate's education, internships, work experiences, and references,
you should be able to glean how their network may have shaped them
for better or for worse. Do you notice any common contacts you may
have? This would certainly pose an advantage to you, as it increases
the likelihood of commonalities, which in turn will make the
candidate a better fit for your environment.

Their long-term commitment.
Do you have returning applicants who worked for you in a previous
season? If they performed well previously, their commitment should be
rewarded—and that will be rewarding to you, since they will see
themselves less as newcomers, and more as team members who take pride
in the place they work for.